Blank Slate
by JulyvsDaniel
Summary: When Arya loses her memory on the way out of Dras-Leona, it's up to Eragon to help her get it back. But in the mean time, he might have a chance to start over with her. CANCELED
1. Chapter 1

I do not own the Inheritance Cycle or any of the characters from the books.

* * *

Training

Eragon stretched and yawned but simply looked around and rubbed the sleep away. The Varden had stopped to make camp and Eragon and Saphira had played watchdog for three days straight. Both were running on empty and wanted nothing more than to sleep.

"_Eragon, we need rest," _Saphira said. "_Fly with me."_

Eragon didn't argue and had a few humans take his place. Then he climbed onto Saphira and she flew into the air. They soared slowly and calmly through the air enjoying the freedom. Finally Saphira landed in a clearing deep in a thick forest. Eragon slid down from her and lay against her. She covered him with her wing and they both quickly fell asleep.

Under an hour later, Eragon woke up when something collided with the side of his face with the force of Orik's warhammer but stung worse.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!?" Arya screamed in anger. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I-WE HAVE BEEN!?"

Blodhgarm raised an eyebrow but stayed silent.

"YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!" Arya screamed. "THE EMPIRE HAS SENT SHADES AFTER US!"

"I'm sorry," Eragon said trying to stand before she literally threw him across the field.

Eragon smashed through the trees and when he stood, he was shocked that there were no injuries. Arya turned and started walking away so the others all followed. Eragon made sure that Blodhgarm was between himself and Arya.

"You realize you can't hide behind me forever right?" Blodhgarm asked. "Literally or otherwise."

"No," Eragon said. "But I can prolong my life at least until we reach the camp."

"True," Blodhgarm said. "You should try to calm her down."

"I'm open to suggestions," Eragon said.

"You could start with trying to talk to me," Arya said suddenly behind them.

Eragon tensed expecting to get hit but turned to face her anyway.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell anyone where we were going," Eragon said. "Saphira and I hadn't slept in days and wanted to rest. We didn't tell you because we're not used to having a security detail to ask for permission for everything."

Arya punched him in the jaw and he flew across the plain they were in and bounced a few extra meters before finally stopping. When he got back, Arya forgave him but was clearly still angry.

"Why's she so mad?" Eragon asked.

"Not sure," Blodhgarm said. "I suspect it has something to do with her being worried. Maybe."

When they reached the camp, the elves took guard duty, except Arya, so Eragon went to his tent and collapsed. He was about to fall asleep when Saphira roared and the top of his tent lit on fire. He groaned and crawled out of his tent to see three shades ripping their way through soldiers while avoiding elves. Eragon drew Brisingr and darted into the fray. There were only about ten but they were strong. Even elves were dropping. Saphira had lit three on fire so they were ended by nearby elves. Eragon began to fight one and two more joined him. Every time he blocked one, the other two nearly impaled him. Finally he got enough of an opening to stab one in the heart but the other two reacted too fast for him to keep Brisingr and another shade joined the two Eragon hadn't killed. Eragon grabbed a sword from a fallen elf just as Arya arrived along with two more shades.

"How's it going?" Eragon asked.

"How's it look?" Arya asked.

"Looks like you're a better fighter than me," Eragon said.

"I haven't killed any yet," Arya said. "Blodhgarm is fighting the other one."

The shades all charged and Eragon and Arya began fighting back to back to cover each other. Each time one of the shades attacked, the target would block it and the other would attack. It worked well enough to keep the shades back but not well enough to kill any. Saphira crushed one with her foot being careful to impale him with her claw and a second branched off to kill her only for Blodhgarm to appear from behind her and stab him in the chest.

"Hope I'm not late," Blodhgarm said. "I dispatched mine as well."

"Then you're doing better than us," Eragon said.

Each of them chose one of the last three shades and attacked. Eragon blocked a slash from his shade and kicked him back at the same time as Blodhgarm blocked a slash and broke his shade's right leg by kicking him in the shin. Arya outdid both by ducking under her shade's blade and removed both legs. She finished her shade off and Eragon sighed at her skill. He blocked a stab from his shade and let the shade impale himself on Eragon's sword. Blodhgarm narrowly avoided a slash and drove his sword through the shade's chest. Then Eragon retrieved his sword and they began to go around healing those who could be saved.

* * *

Two weeks later, he and Arya were chained in the basement of the cathedral in Dras-Leona. After they had escaped and Eragon had done his best to heal Arya's hand, they were sprinting toward the main floor while the entire thing collapsed. Eragon had no idea what had happened but knew that they needed to get out fast. As they neared the exit, a chunk of rock fell and hit Arya on the head knocking her out. Eragon stopped and started to go back for her but Angela grabbed his arm.

"Leave her!" Angela said. "I'm not dying today, even for her!"

Eragon yanked his arm away and ran to Arya. Angela turned and left with Solembum. Eragon rushed after her and got out of the basement less than a second before it collapsed. He set Arya down in a pew then grabbed his sword from a freshly beheaded Laughing Dead. He helped Angela fight the rest of the Laughing Dead then retrieved his belt and Brom's ring from the head priest. Then he retrieved Arya and they all left the city. Saphira met them halfway and flew Eragon and Arya back to the Varden while Angela found her own way.

"Eragon!" Nasuada said meeting him at the edge of the camp. "What happened to Arya?"

"Long story," Eragon said. "Where's Blodhgarm?"

"Here," Blodhgarm said. "Give her to me."

Eragon did so then Blodhgarm carried her away.

"Come," Nasuada said. "The others wish to hear your report."

Eragon nodded and followed Nasuada to a large tent with a table four the four rulers. Nasuada took her place and Eragon recounted the events of their mission.

"We were captured and as we escaped she was hit on the head by a chunk of stone," Eragon said. "For my sake maybe now she won't hate me so much for saving her."

"I highly doubt that she hates you," Islanzadi said.

"You'd be surprised Your Highness," Eragon said turning to leave.

"Do you truly think my daughter so cold?" Islanzadi asked.

Eragon gave her a blank stare for a moment then turned and left.

"He doesn't care very much for your daughter does he?" Orrin asked.

"You're wrong," Nasuada said. "He cares very much for her."

"The problem is that she refuses to accept that she feels the same," Islanzadi said. "The easiest way for her to do this is to keep him at arm's length."

"I see," Orrin said.

Eragon went to the medical tent and found Arya awake and in the process of being restrained for everyone else's safety. She was freaking out and was trying to kill everyone.

"What's wrong with her?" Eragon asked.

"She started freaking out when I tried to heal her concussion," Blodhgarm said. "I don't think she remembers anything.

"For how long?" Eragon asked.

"At least a hundred years," Blodhgarm said. "She doesn't remember me at all."

Eragon switched to the Ancient Language and said, "Be calm Arya, we will not hurt you."

"I already tried the Ancient Language," Blodhgarm said. "She no longer understands it."

"Perfect," Eragon said. "I'll handle it."

He very carefully reached out to her mind and found it completely open. He carefully tried to communicate with her but she didn't react at all. Finally he decided to try to find the memories she had lost. All of them felt damaged so Eragon tried to repair them but all he managed to do was earn himself a black eye. As he left, he brushed a memory of Blodhgarm and all of the memories of Blodhgarm repaired themselves along with enough for her to remember her early life and the very general situation of Galbatorix being the evil king. Then Eragon retracted from her mind completely and sighed. Arya had calmed down when she remembered Blodhgarm and was staring at them both in confusion.

"Who are you?" Arya asked.

"My name is Eragon," Eragon said. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"It's really fuzzy," Arya said.

"Probably," Eragon said. "But you have to try to remember."

"No," Blodhgarm said smiling. "She's quoting something I said a few years back. We were out hunting and she found a rabbit that she was quite taken to. That was the only opinion I had."

"That sounds...fun," Eragon said.

"Not really," Blodhgarm said.

"Is he a friend of yours?" Arya asked. "I don't recognize him."

"He's a human," Blodhgarm said.

"Agaeti Blodhren, hm?" Arya asked. "Okay."

"You really don't recognize me?" Eragon asked.

"No," Arya said. "I've never met you."

"Yes you have," Blodhgarm said.

Blodhgarm spoke telepathically with Arya for a long time then Arya looked at Eragon like she didn't know what to make of him.

"You're a Dragon Rider and a Shadeslayer?" Arya asked skeptically.

"I am," Eragon said in the Ancient Language.

"Excuse me?" Arya asked.

"She still doesn't remember that language," Blodhgarm said.

"Yes," Eragon said.

Arya rolled her eyes then left to speak with her mother. Eragon sighed then sat down in a chair.

"What did you tell her?" Eragon asked.

"I left out the parts about your feelings for her for your sake as well as the number of times you've ticked her off," Blodhgarm said.

"Thanks," Eragon said. "How long do you think it'll take for her to remember?"

"I don't know," Blodhgarm said. "But I would start by asking her to train you to fight. Start by sucking and then progress rapidly. Get the picture?"

"Yes," Eragon said.

Blodhgarm wished him luck and he left. He started walking back to his tent, but when he was halfway there, an elven sword was pressed to his throat.

"First rule," Arya said. "Never let your guard down."

"Blodhgarm asked for me," Eragon said.

"He did," Arya said. "Draw your sword kid."

"Kid?" Eragon asked drawing his sword. "I'm a hundred years old."

"Bull," Arya said. "Blodhgarm told me all about how young you are."

"He's a little too dependable sometimes," Eragon said.

Arya lowered her sword and Eragon got ready to fight. Arya swung and Eragon blocked it, but, as per Blodhgarm's advice, allowed her to knock his sword away and beat him.

"You really are terrible," Arya said. "Stop acting pathetic."

"Observant," Eragon said. "Fine. Let's try this again."

He used half of his skill this time and Arya seemed less than impressed but seemed to accept that as his level of skill.

"You suck," Arya finally said after Eragon purposefully stabbed his sword into the ground and tripped. "How did you kill a shade?"

"A friend of mine rode my dragon down through the ceiling as a distraction," Eragon said. "She saved my life."

"Are you with her?" Arya asked.

"No," Eragon said. "She turned me down more times than I can count."

"I'm sorry," Arya said. "We're done for today."

"No," Eragon said picking up his sword. "I want to continue."

Arya smiled, respecting his determination. She nodded and moved to strike. Eragon rolled under her tripping her and put his sword to her throat.

"Impressive," Arya said. "Cheating, but impressive."

"Thank you," Eragon said.

He stood and helped her up just as Saphira landed beside them.

"_Has she recovered her memory yet?"_ Saphira asked Eragon.

Eragon shook his head and Saphira looked at Arya.

"Hello Bjartskular," Arya said bowing.

"_Greetings, Arya drottningu,"_ Saphira said dipping her head.

"How do you..." Arya began.

"You've met," Eragon said. "Has Blodhgarm filled you in on the progress of the war?"

"He has," Arya said. "He said that I apparently killed a shade also."

"You did," Eragon said. "And you've kicked my butt so many times that I'm half surprised you don't remember me."

"Good," Arya said. "Now show me what you can really do instead of pretending to suck."

Eragon grinned and shrugged.

"If you say so," Eragon said.

Arya moved forward and swung at Eragon's head. Eragon ducked under it and swung at Arya's stomach. She jumped back then swung at his legs but he jumped over her blade and swung at the top of her head. She blocked it then shoved his sword away and attacked again. Eragon swept her sword aside and swung at her neck. She ducked under his swing and tripped him then moved to stab him but stopped when she felt the point of his blade press against her stomach.

"Impressive," Arya said. "But you're still holding back. Why? You could have beaten me much sooner if you weren't."

"I'm not holding back," Eragon said.

"You are," Arya said. "But you don't realize it."

"Arya," Blodhgarm said walking over. "Your mother wishes to speak with you."

"Okay," Arya said standing.

She helped Eragon up then left.

"Who won?" Blodhgarm asked.

"Me," Eragon said. "By less than a second."

"How much does she remember?" Blodhgarm asked.

"Not sure," Eragon said. "She knew I was holding back but that may have just been her perceptiveness."

"Maybe," Blodhgarm asked. "Are you going to try to win her heart?"

"No," Eragon said. "It would end the same way. Probably worse since she doesn't remember me saving her life."

"True," Blodhgarm said. "But I can see something in the way she acts around you that wasn't there before she lost her memory."

"You're imagining things," Eragon said.

Eragon and Saphira went back to Eragon's tent and Eragon pulled out a bottle of dwarven wine. He had tried it once before but it had resulted in him having a blackout a week long. The dwarves swore up and down that he had stayed locked up in his room hallucinating but he wasn't so sure.

Eragon poured some in a glass but before he took a sip, Arya appeared and took the glass.

"What are you doing?" Eragon asked.

Arya poured it on the ground outside his tent and it began to smoke and hiss.

"Acid?" Eragon asked.

"Yes," Arya said taking the bottle. "Not fatal but it will leave a human hallucinating for weeks. It has no effect on dwarves which is why all dwarven wines have it in them."

"Oh," Eragon said. "That explains a lot."

"You've drank some before?" Arya asked.

"Yep," Eragon said. "Can't remember anything from the following week."

"Figures," Arya said. "Here. It's elvish."

She handed him a bottle of wine and Eragon stared at it for a moment then at her.

"They just told me that Wyrden died," Arya said. "I'm going to empty that whether you help me or not."

"If you say so," Eragon said pulling out two fresh, non acid-coated, glasses and handed one to Arya.

She also grabbed the bottle of wine and poured their drinks. Eragon sighed and began drinking. After a little while his senses began to get screwed up and then he woke up the next day with no memory of the night before.

THE END

* * *

Read and review. Recently I have had trouble collecting reviews. For that reason, I will only post the next chapter each time I get a review.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own the Inheritance Cycle or any of the characters.

* * *

Sorry it took so long to update, my computer died and I had to rewrite the chapter then it died again and I had to rewrite it again.

* * *

Worst Memory

He was in his bed, clothed, and with a severe hangover but aside from that he was fine. Arya was laying next to him with the empty bottle sleeping soundly.

"Ouch," Eragon said quietly rubbing his head.

Saphira took his hangover away from him then laughed at him.

"_Did I do anything stupid?"_ Eragon asked.

"_You got drunk,"_ Saphira said. "_You passed out after finishing your half."_

Eragon sighed in relief then used a spell to get rid of the hangover Saphira had taken left the tent to get something to eat. After he ate, he went into a field to practice with his sword against Laufin. Laufin seemed to know that Eragon had gotten drunk with Arya because he kept making Eragon spin to try to disorient him.

"I don't have a hangover you know," Eragon finally said.

"Oh," Laufin said.

"How did you know I got drunk anyway?" Eragon asked.

"Simple," Laufin said. "I gave Arya the wine after I found it in Wyrden's tent."

"Oh," Eragon said blocking a stab.

Eragon swung at Laufin's neck but Laufin blocked it and kicked Eragon back. Eragon blocked another stab then pivoted as Laufin stumbled past and tapped him on the neck with his dulled blade.

"I half wish you were still only human," Laufin said.

"I don't," Eragon said. "I love winning."

"Well then you're going to hate me," Arya said walking over. "This time, you lose."

"Why's that?" Eragon asked.

"I have my reasons," Arya said.

"How's your head?" Eragon asked.

"Clear," Arya said. "Yours?"

"Perfect," Eragon said.

Arya drew her sword and swung it at Eragon's side in one fluid motion but Eragon easily blocked it. The moment their swords began to ring, Arya stumbled back covering her ears.

"Still hung over huh?" Eragon asked.

Eragon cured her hangover and she thanked him before attacking him again. This time, she was so fast that Eragon had trouble keeping up. He briefly remembered that she hadn't dulled her sword then the thought went away when she slashed his arm. the cut wasn't bad but it was enough for Eragon to realize she wanted him to stop holding back. He started fighting harder but Arya still outpaced him and continually looked angrier. Finally she tripped him and placed the tip of her blade to his throat.

"You're still holding back," Arya said. "You're completely useless."

"_No he's not," _Saphira said. "_Against anyone else he wouldn't hold back."_

"Then why does he against me?" Arya asked.

"_When you regain your memories, you will see,"_ Saphira said.

Arya looked confused, then irritated, then stormed off. Eragon stood and healed his injuries then sighed.

"How is her memory progressing?" Islanzadi asked.

"You would have to ask Blodhgarm," Eragon said.

"I asked you," Islanzadi said.

"I don't know," Eragon said. "She still hates me, tried to kill me, and the only things she says to me are how horrible I am at fighting and what a disgrace I am for not trying my hardest to kill her."

"I see," Islanzadi said. "That's about how Blodhgarm described her."

Eragon smirked then climbed onto Saphira.

"Laufin," Eragon said. "Please tell the others that Saphira and I are going for a flight."

"Sure," Laufin said.

Saphira leapt into the air and a moment later, Arya was standing behind Eragon.

"Where are you going?" Arya asked.

"How did you get up here?" Eragon asked.

"Jumped," Arya said. "Answer the question."

"For a flight," Eragon said. "We'll be back in a little while."

"I'm going with you," Arya said.

"Why?" Eragon asked.

"I'm supposed to make sure you stay safe," Arya said.

"Blodhgarm told you that you were in my security detail?" Eragon asked.

"No," Arya said. "That part I remembered. Then my mother told me."

"At least you remember something about me," Eragon said.

Saphira flew toward the west and around Helgrind. Eragon glared at the mountain in disgust and felt Saphira's emotions mirroring his own. Just as they were passing within ten feet of the concealed opening, a Laughing Dead leapt out of it and slashed Saphira's wing. Eragon beheaded him and the body flew past. Saphira tried to steady herself but the wind began to blow and she couldn't withstand it with only one wing. The wind blew them west over the mountains to the peninsula near Teirm.

Saphira crashed down hard and broke her good wing. Arya and Eragon flew into the air and Eragon shielded Arya as they crashed down into the water. Arya pulled him back to the surface and to the shore then tried to heal Saphira's wings. They wouldn't heal with magic, however, so she simply settled for using a spell to reduce Saphira's pain.

"Ow," Eragon said sitting up. "And I thought water was supposed to be safe to land in."

"Depending on your speed," Arya said. "At our speed a normal human would have died."

"Glad I'm not a normal human then," Eragon said.

"As am I," Arya said. "I was afraid I'd have to carry Saphira back all on my own."

"Funny," Eragon said. "She'd be dead. And she can still walk."

"True," Arya said. "But the more energy she uses, the more pain she will be in."

"_I can walk,"_ Saphira said standing and folding her wings gingerly.

Arya looked unsure but relented and they began to make their way along the Toark River.

"You should send a message to the others," Eragon told Arya. "They expect us back shortly."

"Good point," Arya said.

She used a spell to make and send a grass boat with a message about what happened. Then they continued. After a few hours, it began to get dark so they stopped and built a pile of wood which Saphira lit for them.

"So, Arya said. "Since Blodhgarm isn't here, you'll have to try to repair my memories. Try not to screw up."

"Repair your memories?" Eragon asked.

"Yes," Arya said. "He spends an hour every night trying to repair my memories."

"Oh," Eragon said. "How?"

"He says that the memories have been shattered and he tries to put them back together," Arya said.

Eragon shrugged and closed his eyes. He carefully reached out to Arya's mind again and this time began looking around. He could find a lot of pieces but had trouble telling what were for which memories. He found a piece of memory containing Saphira and the moment he touched it, it went back to the place it was supposed to be. He smiled and began moving around touching pieces of memory. Some went back into place automatically but most he would have to put back in place manually. After five hours, he finished three memories. One was of an argument with Islanzadi over whether or not Arya could continue being in the Varden. The second was of Arya killing Varaug. The last, was of Arya teaching Eragon to speak the Ancient Language.

Eragon retracted to his own mind and sighed. Arya thanked him but called him slow. Eragon stuck his tongue out at her and she laughed. Then both lay down and went to sleep. The next day, they trained with their swords for an hour then continued east along the river. Saphira complained about not being able to fly but Arya was able to get more than enough meat for her and Eragon was able to get enough edible plants for both himself and Arya.

Every night, Eragon spent a few hours working on Arya's memories. It was tortuously slow progress but they were making some. After five days, they reached the Woadark Lake. They made camp when the sun began to set and Eragon began his job of trying to fix Arya's memories again. So far, she remembered everything about Saphira but that was all he had been able to fix.

This time when Eragon got into her mind, it was more literal. He was standing in an enormous round room with several memories in the form or mirrors with small scenes playing out in them. There were large pieces of mirror laying scattered around the room. After about five minutes of not finding any that went back into place on their own, it was apparent that he would have to fix the rest the hard way. He could see pieces of images in the pieces of mirror and used that to attempt to rebuild the mirrors. Each time a memory went into place, the crack between it and the neighboring piece shone then faded. As he worked, it became apparent that not all of the mirrors were like movies. Some allowed him to feel whatever emotions were tied to a specific person or event.

After around three hours, he finished a mirror and his mind was flooded with mixed emotions pertaining to himself. Among them were pride, friendship, slight annoyance, fear, worry, and, shockingly, love.

Eragon smiled to himself but continued to work and after a short while finished a second. This memory, was of the fairth he had created of her. When she saw it, Eragon could feel pride and love, along with happiness and fear. This time it was more defined. The fear was fear that he would realize how she felt as well as the fear that he would be distracted from his duty as a Rider if he knew how she felt. To avoid this, she smashed the fairth.

Eragon finally withdrew from her mind and noticed that she wouldn't look him in the eye. He didn't say anything and instead lay down to sleep but couldn't. Try as he might, he couldn't make himself tired. Arya just sat there watching him for any reaction to what he had learned. Finally, she lay down and fell asleep. Once she was, Eragon got up and walked over to Saphira and lay against her. Finally, he drifted off to sleep.

That night, he dreamt that he was sitting in a field. Arya was leaning on his shoulder and they were watching their three children playing near the edge of the field.

All too soon, Eragon opened his eyes to see Arya packing up the camp. When she saw that he was awake, she smiled for a moment then her face fell and she went back to packing.

"We should get going," Arya said. "The Varden can't wait forever."

Eragon nodded then stood and walked over. She finished and handed him Brisingr. Eragon thanked her and they began moving. Saphira constantly pestered him to say something but he couldn't think of anything too say. Finally, they stopped for lunch and Arya left to get some food.

"What do you suggest I say?" Eragon asked.

_"Little One, I have no idea what you should say,"_ Saphira said. _"You're the one who's in love with her, you figure it out."_

Eragon thought on it for a long while and when Arya returned, he still didn't have a single idea what to say.

"Arya," Eragon said praying that he would get an idea while talking. "About..."

"Eragon," Arya said. "Please don't. You know what thought went through my head. You know why we can't be together."

"What if we could be?" Eragon asked. "What if I could stop Galbatorix and be with you?"

"Eragon-" Arya began clearly faltering.

"What if I could?" Eragon asked.

Arya stared at the ground for a long while then looked him in the eye.

"You can't," Arya said. "I'm sorry."

Eragon nodded and walked over to Saphira. Arya could almost feel how badly she had hurt him and had a sense of Deja Vu but couldn't remember for certain. Eragon rested one hand on Saphira's side and she pressed her snout into the side of his neck. He ran his hand over the scales on top of her head and smiled.

"I'm sorry," Arya said. "But you're human, whether your body is or not. You can't be with me and stop Galbatorix."

"I know you don't think I can but you're wrong," Eragon said. "If you would give me a chance. I'm sorry for wasting your time."

Eragon walked off and Arya felt even worse. When she was finished preparing their food, she and Saphira ate theirs then Saphira asked if Eragon was planning on coming back.

_"If I come back now I'll lose my temper,"_ Eragon said.

_"Suit yourself,"_ Saphira said. _"He says that we can continue. He will follow."_

Arya knew that he was trying to keep his temper under control, and knew it was her fault. She felt terrible but didn't feel like trying to apologize for now. She and Saphira continued and Eragon stayed exactly five miles behind them. Eventually, they stopped for the night and Eragon finally rejoined them.

Arya watched him carefully to see if he was still angry. He seemed to be frustrated but was fairly calm. After they had eaten, Eragon took a deep breath and asked if she wanted him to continue.

"Yes, please," Arya said. "I want to remember everything."

Eragon nodded and entered her mind the same as he had before. He was again standing in the room of mirrors and again he began to put the mirrors back together. After a couple hours, he finished one mirror and both he and Arya felt extreme pain before seeing anything. Then the memory started to play and they saw why.

* * *

_Memory: Arya's POV_

* * *

Arya opened her eyes and her body began, again, screaming in pain. This had been going on for weeks. The reason was simple, every bone in her body that wouldn't kill her and could be healed was shattered. The only ones that weren't were her first through fourth vertebrae. She had been making her way through Alagaesia with Saphira's egg and a group of imperial mercenaries had captured her. She had managed to hide the egg but couldn't escape since they meticulously spent exactly three weeks breaking every bone in her body in the most painful way possible to try to get information out of her. She had managed to withstand the pain for the most part but knew she couldn't last much longer.

"Good morning sleeping beauty," one mercenary said. "It's good to see you're awake. Don't suppose you feel like telling us everything you know."

"Go to Hell," Arya said.

"Didn't think so," the mercenary said pulling out a razor blade and a bottle of fluorosulfuric acid. "Last chance."

"Never," Arya said.

The mercenary sighed and cut Arya's arm then poured the fluorosulfuric acid in. The pain was beyond anything she had ever experienced. It was impossible to describe as anything other than something similar to someone trying to use white hot razor wire to remove the muscle and skin from her arm. While she was screaming, he dumped salt into her mouth enough to cover all of the inside of her mouth but not enough for her to vomit. She coughed some back out and regretted it when he pushed a chunk of ice into her mouth and held his hand over her mouth so she couldn't spit it out. She instantly began to get frostbite on ever part of the inside of her mouth. She screamed louder and louder by the second praying for the ice to melt faster but it didn't even begin to. Finally the mercenary removed his hand and she spit the ice out along with a fair amount of blood.

"You know I'm just going to get more creative right?" the mercenary asked.

Arya spit blood into his face and he wiped it away then poured fluorosulfuric acid into her mouth followed by more salt and ice. Arya screamed so loudly that it hurt his ears even though his hand was muffling her scream. Finally he let her spit it out and smiled.

"Just tell me what we want to know and we'll end this," the mercenary said.

"N...no," Arya croaked resisting the urge to scream due to the pain of talking.

"Okay," the mercenary said. "Then I am truly sorry. But now I have to start removing every sense you have except the ability to feel."

He poured more salt into her mouth then placed a larger chunk of ice that she couldn't possibly spit out in then poured in more salt. Arya began screaming louder and louder and it lasted for at least ten minutes until the ice was at long last melted. The mercenary removed his hand and sighed.

"Just tell us where they are and I'll heal you," the mercenary said.

Arya began sobbing and shook her head. The mercenary sighed and felt a pang of sympathy because he knew how bad the next one would hurt. He tilted her head to the side and poured fluorosulfuric acid into her ear then placed a cork into it before doing the same to the other ear. He let her suffer for about ten seconds then removed the corks and washed her ears out before her hearing could be permanently ruined.

"Will you tell me?" the mercenary asked.

Arya continued to sob as her entire body screamed in pain and throbbed between severe and indescribable pain. Finally, she nodded and began to sob harder.

"There there," the mercenary said. "Where are the STARS? Where is the elven Special Tactics And Recon Squad?"

"Thuh uh thuh fahustht uhthide Drath-Leona," Arya struggled to say despite the extensive damage to the inside of her mouth.

"Thank you," the mercenary said then healed her mouth and ears but then created several cuts on, and removed one chunk, from her arm.

He poured salt in some of the cuts and fluorosulfuric acid in the rest. In the gap left by the chunk, he poured salt then placed in a chunk of ice. Then he left while she screamed in agony.

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_End of Memory_

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The memory ended and a second mirror fixed itself. This memory was of the only living STARS member, Faolin, being tortured in front of her. The mercenary said it was as an example. Arya somehow managed to get free and snapped the mercenary's neck then freed Faolin before blacking out. When she woke up again, Faolin had killed the other mercenaries and healed her and they were heading back to Ellesmera.

Eragon withdrew from her mind to find her sobbing and shaking. Clearly the pain had been worse for her than for him, and it had been terrible for him. He remembered that she had told him that Faolin had been killed and somehow believed she might remember that as well.

He pulled her into a hug and she sobbed into his shoulder. Eragon gently rocked back and forth running his hands through her hair and tried to comfort her. After about three hours, she was still crying but not as hard as before. He continued to comfort her until she eventually cried herself to sleep. He continued to hold her and run his hand through her hair for a while longer then gently lay her down and sat beside her. He felt horrible for having fixed that memory and considered destroying it again but decided that he didn't know if that was a good idea and decided not to.

_"What do I do?" _Eragon asked Saphira.

_"I have no idea,"_ Saphira said. _"Personally I would like to remove those memories altogether but I have no idea what the consequences would be."_

Eragon nodded and brushed a strand of hair out of Arya's face. Then he looked around.

_"What are you doing?"_ Saphira asked.

_"We could be attacked,"_ Eragon said. _"Plus I can't sleep after that memory."_

Saphira nodded and lay her head down. Then she closed her eyes and began to sleep peacefully. Eragon stayed awake throughout the night so he didn't fail to notice that Arya was having nightmares about being tortured again. He used a spell to keep her from having anymore nightmares and went back to being on guard duty.

The next day, Eragon was tired but was well rested compared to Arya. She was devastated by her memory but was able to function, barely.

THE END

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Read and review. I am debating having her remember all of her memories or only some. Please tell me your opinion. I will take a vote.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own the Inheritance Cycle or any of the characters.

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No votes yet. I decided to have her not remember everything and simply decide that she could make due without all of them. If you don't like it, too bad. My decision is still subject to change if you vote.

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Test and Progress

Eragon put his kill in front of Saphira then sat next to Arya. She leaned on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. It had been three days since he had recovered Arya's memory of being tortured. She had sobbed herself to sleep every night and every night, Eragon kept her from having nightmares. Arya was slowly beginning to get past the memory but was far from okay. For her sake, Eragon hadn't tried to bring back any memories and was, for the first time, considering leaving them damaged. He was terrified that if there were any other painful memories and he accidentally brought them back, she would break. He was especially afraid of accidentally fixing her memories of Gil'ead.

As they sat there, Arya sniffed and started to cry silently. Eragon pulled her into a full hug and she began sobbing for the tenth time that day. She didn't cry as long this time and was done before Saphira had finished eating. She sat in Eragon's lap and rested her head on his chest as he ran his hand gently through her hair. He placed a feather-light kiss on the top of her head and she smiled then sat up to look at him with a mixture of sadness and pain.

Then she kissed him. Eragon kissed her back without any hesitation. She turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She slid her tongue into his mouth and her hands began to move down his back but he broke the kiss and stopped her hands.

"Arya," Eragon said. "I want to, you know I do. But we can't. I'm sorry."

Arya smiled both relieved and impressed. Eragon saw the look on her face and felt more confused than ever before.

"What?" Eragon asked.

"I wanted to see if you would use my condition for your own personal gain and you didn't," Arya said. "Why?"

"Because it wouldn't be right," Eragon said. "Aside from that, repairing that memory brought back more didn't it?"

"No," Arya said. "You comforting me did. It brought back every memory that had my feelings for you tied into them."

"How many was that?" Eragon asked.

"All of my memories starting from when you saved me from Gil'ead," Arya said.

"You remember Gil'ead?" Eragon asked.

"That was the one memory that the other one brought back," Arya said.

"So you've got your memories back?" Eragon asked.

"No," Arya said. "In total, I've got maybe a year out of almost a century."

"Good point," Eragon said.

Arya smiled then kissed him again. This time it was slower and more controlled. Eragon kissed her back and after a couple minutes, they pulled away.

"I love you," Eragon said.

Arya smiled and rested her forehead against his again.

"I know," Arya said.

Eragon smiled but Saphira voiced the same thing he was thinking, though only to him.

_"She still can not say that she loves you back," _Saphira said.

Eragon kissed her again then moved her off of his lap and finished getting their dinner ready. Saphira ate the last of hers and Eragon and Arya ate in silence. Arya could tell that Eragon was hurt by her not saying that she loved him back but also knew that he respected her enough to wait.

When they finished eating, Arya said, "I'm ready for you to continue."

"Are you sure?" Eragon asked. "What if there are other painful memories?"

"There probably are," Arya said. "But I can handle it."

Eragon nodded and carefully moved toward her mind but stopped before he reached her and drew Brisingr just as seven imperial soldiers stepped out of the brush and rushed at them. Eragon easily cut them down and smiled.

"Simple," Eragon said.

"Saphira," Arya said. "Please keep watch for us."

Saphira nodded and Eragon entered Arya's mind again. He again stood in the room of mirrors but all of the mirrors were repaired. The only other difference, was that Arya was standing in front of him.

"Hello Eragon," Arya said. "This room, is the section of my memories that is tied to my feelings for you. Meaning that it contains all of my memories of you."

Eragon looked around and quickly lost track. There were several that were simple conversations between them, as simple as him asking for directions or even simply saying hello as he walked past.

"What room's next?" Eragon asked.

"That one," Arya said pointing to a door labeled, 'Gil'ead And Similar'.

Eragon nodded and opened the door. Inside, he could see all of the memories of her being tortured and there was one mirror not repaired. Eragon put it back together and saw that the memory was of Durza capturing her and taking her to Gil'ead.

Eragon closed the door and looked around. There were several others and Eragon could see that one was almost completely repaired and were the memories of Blodhgarm. He left those for Blodhgarm to finish and moved on to her memories of Ellesmera. Mainly it was just her life in Ellesmera.

After two hours, Eragon had made incredible progress since Arya was helping as much as she could. He withdrew from her mind and she smiled.

"Thank you," Arya said. "That helps a lot. I'm still missing about ninety three years or so but for now, that's enough."

Eragon nodded and smiled.

"Get some rest," Eragon said. "I'll take guard duty."

"No," Arya said. "I will."

Eragon shrugged then lay down and quickly fell asleep. Saphira did the same and Arya began to watch for enemies. While she did, she also tried to rebuild her memories herself but couldn't. Eventually she gave up.

THE END

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	4. Chapter 4

I do not own the Inheritance Cycle or any of the characters.

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Wasted Work

Eragon opened his eyes and saw that Arya was sitting on a log by the fire, barely awake. He got up and helped her lay down. Then he sat against Saphira.

"How're the wings?" Eragon asked.

_"Finally healed,"_ Saphira said extending them and sighing in relief.

Eragon nodded and they waited patiently for Arya to wake up. When she was awake, she looked around.

"Saphira's healed," Eragon said. "She can fly us back now."

_"It'll take two days,"_ Saphira said. _"But I can do it."_

Arya nodded, relieved, and Eragon climbed onto Saphira then helped Arya up. Saphira stretched her wings then leapt into the air and began to fly east. As they flew, Arya and Eragon both enjoyed the feeling of flying. Eragon could feel the feeling of pure joy at being able to fly again coming from Saphira. After about eighteen straight hours, Eragon could feel Saphira getting tired and was about to tell her to land when a roar sounded above them.

Saphira and Eragon both knew it was Murtagh without having to look, and Saphira spun and flipped to fly toward them. Eragon and Arya both drew their swords, and as they past Murtagh, they swung at him. Eragon managed to slash his thigh and Arya cut the strap of his saddle causing him to fall but Thorn caught him. As Thorn passed over them, he swung his tail and smashed Arya in the head. Arya flew away from them as fast as if she had been launched by an explosion. Saphira roared angrily and Eragon leapt off of Saphira after Arya before she could get too far away. He caught her, and just before they crashed to the ground, Saphira caught them with her forefoot then carefully landed.

"Arya!" Eragon said.

He healed her and she groaned then opened her eyes and they widened. Eragon was about to say something when she began to scream and hit him.

"Let me go!" Arya screamed.

"Arya!" Eragon said. "Calm down!"

She didn't calm down at all, if anything, she got more desperate. She began to hit him with anything and everything she could reach including a rock. luckily she hadn't noticed the swords.

Eragon sighed and, in the ancient language, said, "Please calm down Arya. I mean you no harm. Please!"

She continued to hit him for a moment but they had suddenly lessened in strength then she stopped.

"Who are you?" Arya asked in the Ancient Language.

"Eragon," Eragon said. "I am the last Dragon Rider aside from Galbatorix and my half-brother Murtagh, who serves Galbatorix. Please, try to remember."

Arya tried but suddenly her head hurt and she couldn't recall any memory at all with much clarity. She groaned as her head began to hurt and Eragon's heart fell.

"Please allow me to attempt to fix your memories," Eragon said. "I promise I will not cause you any harm."

"Okay," Arya said.

Eragon entered her mind and froze. The room of mirrors was completely destroyed. The walls were crumbling between rooms and pieces of mirror containing memories of Eragon were spread throughout all of the rooms. Eragon took a step forward and accidentally stepped on a mirror shard. It glowed then faded and several other pieces did the same. A few mirrors repaired themselves. Arya could remember who she was, that she was friends with Eragon, and who all of the other elves she knew were and what their fates were. Aside from that, the other mirrors were so completely destroyed that Eragon would need a century straight to simply get one percent of them back in order. He hoped Blodhgarm would be able to help but for the moment, he had done everything he could.

He withdrew then, in the Ancient Language, said, "I have repaired your memories once before not long ago. The damage then was extensive but compared to this, your memories then were arranged in neat piles. I don't think the damage can be fixed anymore than I already have this time. Blodhgarm may be able to help but I can't."

Arya nodded and they climbed back onto Saphira. Saphira continued and after a few more hours, they could see the Varden marching forward at a snail's pace. Saphira landed in front of the army and they all stopped. Eragon got down then he and Arya made their way to Nasuada and Islanzadi. They knelt then Eragon stood and made the hardest report of his life.

THE END

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	5. Chapter 5

I do not own the Inheritance Cycle or any of the characters.

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Useless Advice

"What do you mean, her memories are gone again?" Blodhgarm asked.

"Exactly what I said," Eragon said. "Murtagh found us on the way back and Thorn managed to hit Arya with his tail. When she woke up, she started to freak out again. I did what I could but..."

Blodhgarm rolled his eyes and turned to Arya, who he was hurt hadn't recognized him much. Arya nodded and Blodhgarm moved into her mind. A moment later he retracted, paler than Eragon had ever seen him.

"It's not reparable," Blodhgarm said. "It can't be fixed."

Both Eragon and Arya had already established that so they didn't react in any surprise at all.

"You knew?" Blodhgarm said.

"I already told you that the damage was permanent," Eragon said. "I know that human standards for permanent and elven ones aren't the same, but I still know what I'm talking about."

Blodhgarm seemed emotionless for a moment the threw a punch at Eragon. Eragon blocked it and shoved Blodhgarm back.

"This is your fault," Blodhgarm said. "You were supposed to protect her!"

"I'm sorry," Eragon said evenly. "I'm not Angela, I had no way of knowing that Murtagh would find us."

"I don't care!" Blodhgarm said. "You were supposed to keep her safe! Now she has no idea who she is, who I am!"

"So that's what you're mad about," Eragon said. "She doesn't remember you so you intend to take it out on me because she _does_ remember me."

"Exactly," Blodhgarm said. "Deyj-"

He was cut off by Arya driving the edge of her hand into the side of his neck knocking him out.

"Thanks," Eragon said.

"No problem," Arya said.

Eragon used a spell to keep Blodhgarm from using magic and when Blodhgarm woke up, he and Eragon moved to an open field where they could duel in peace.

"I'm giving you one chance to give up," Eragon said.

"I'm going to kill you, just you wait," Blodhgarm said.

Eragon drew his sword and Blodhgarm charged. Eragon blocked his first swing then ducked under his second. Blodhgarm continued trying to kill Eragon for several minutes but Eragon avoided or blocked all of his attacks and made no move to try to fight back. Finally, Blodhgarm tripped and Eragon put his blade to Blodhgarm's throat.

"Give up," Eragon said. "It's my fault she lost her memory but there's nothing I can do about it now. I'm sorry."

Blodhgarm glared at him but let his sword go. Eragon let him stand and began to apologize again.

"Just so we're clear," Blodhgarm interrupted. "I will never forgive you and if you even consider trying to take advantage of her lack of memory by trying to be with her, I will kill you."

Eragon nodded and Blodhgarm walked away. Arya walked over and Eragon smiled at her then glared at Blodhgarm's back.

"How mad is he?" Arya asked.

"Let's just say, he's not going to forgive me any time soon," Eragon said. "You really don't remember anything about him?"

"I remember his name and that he's part of you personal guard," Arya said. "Aside from that, nothing."

Eragon nodded then turned and began to walk back to his tent.

"I'm going to go get some rest before we head out," Eragon said. "You should too."

"Where's my tent again?" Arya asked.

"Um..." Eragon thought for a moment. "It's about a half mile that way. Any elf should be able to give you more specific directions."

"Oh," Arya said. "Okay, goodnight."

"Goodnight," Eragon said.

They both went toward their tents and Eragon quickly changed into something he hadn't worn for days on end. Just as he was going to get into bed, Arya peeked in.

"I can't find it," Arya said. "There are too many elven tents."

"Did you ask anyone else for directions?" Eragon asked.

"Yes," Arya said. "No one knew."

"Figures," Eragon said.

"Can I just stay with you for tonight and find my tent in the morning?" Arya asked.

"Blodhgarm will probably chuck a fit but sure," Eragon said.

Arya smiled and walked in then sat beside the bed clearly planning on letting him use it.

"You can have the bed," Eragon said. "There's someone I have to talk to. Actually, I think you should meet him again too."

"Who?" Arya asked.

Eragon pulled out Glaedr's Eldunari and he and Arya both reached out to Glaedr.

"Hello again Eragon," Glaedr said cheerfully. "How can I help?"

"Well," Eragon said. "Arya's memories have been severely damaged. Me and Blodhgarm can't fix them and I was hoping that you could."

"Let me see," Glaedr said.

Arya allowed him into her mind and his reaction seemed a lot more surprised than Eragon had expected. His shock was so strong that Glaedr was having trouble keeping it supressed.

After a moment he said, "What happened?"

"Well," Eragon said. "When we were escaping Dras-Leona, a piece of rubble hit her in the head and damaged her memories. Blodhgarm and I were repairing them but then me and her were separated, and on the way back, Thorn managed to hit her in the head with his tail. Then her memories were in that condition."

"I guess I understand the damage," Glaedr said. "She's lucky to be alive. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do either. The person that knows her best could probably rebuild her memories but it would take centuries."

"I figured as much," Eragon said. "Thanks anyway."

"You're welcome," Glaedr said. "Do you require assistance with something else?"

"No," Eragon said.

"Very well," Glaedr said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Eragon said.

As he withdrew, he caught a glimpse of a happy memory of Glaedr and Oromis flying around to relax. Eragon smiled and put Glaedr's Eldunari away. He was glad that Glaedr was starting to be able to cope with Oromis' death.

"How did he die?" Arya asked.

"He and his Rider tried to resist Galbatorix," Eragon said.

"I see," Arya said. "Are you sure you'll be fine on the ground?"

"I'll be fine," Eragon said smiling. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Arya said then lay down and drifted off to sleep.

THE END

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